One of the drivers of a Spanish train that careered off the tracks and smashed
into a concrete wall, killing at least 80 people, had previously boasted
about speeding on his Facebook page.

Francisco Jose Garzon de Amo, 52, a train driver with 30 years experience, was under police guard in hospital on Thursday night after being placed under investigation over Spain’s worst rail disaster for almost 70 years. He escaped with only light wounds in a crash that injured more than 130.

Train driver Francisco Jose Garzon de Amo and (right) moments after the train crash in Santiago de Compostela (Reuters)

Early investigations suggested the train derailed on Wednesday evening while travelling at more than twice the 80km/h speed limit on a dangerous curve approaching the northern city of Santiago de Compostela in north western Spain.

Dramatic video showed the train flying off the tracks as it sped round the bend and slamming into a wall, sending carriages into the air and leaving a scene of ‘Dante-esque’ devastation. Three days of national mourning have been declared in Spain.

On Thursday night, the Spanish media published excerpts from Mr Garzon’s Facebook page as speculation mounted that human error was to blame for the tragedy.

In one posting, he was alleged to have said: “It would be amazing to go alongside police and overtake them and trigger off the speed camera.” The comments were posted beneath a photograph of a train’s speedometer clocking 200 km/h (124 m/h).

“Ha ha ha, That would be a lovely fine for Renfe (the state-owned train company).”

One of his friends commented: “You are going way too fast – Braaaaaaake!!”

Other media reports suggested that in the aftermath of the crash, Mr Garzon shouted into a phone: “I’ve derailed! What do I do?”.

Rescue workers help a victim of a train crash near Santiago de Compostela (Reuters)

One of the drivers is said to have admitted to rail officials that the train was travelling at 190 (km/h - 118m/h) in the moments before the accident. The service, from Madrid, was reportedly running late at the time.

Investigators were last night trying to establish why the train was going so fast and why security devices to keep speed within permitted limits had not worked.